A Father Transformed

A new memoir about a father's journey to understand and parent his daughter, Sarah, who has Down syndrome.

Listen

Listening...

/

19:39

Parents of a child with Down Syndrome

When Paul Austin and his wife Sally were anticipating their first child, they both felt excited and ready to be parents.

Paul was a medical student, and Sally was a nurse, and they were familiar with hospitals and newborns. But when their daughter Sarah was born, they quickly found out that Sarah had Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, and they both were shocked. They struggled with their own doubts and fears as well as the prejudices of others. In his new memoir Beautiful Eyes (W.W. Norton & Company/2014), Paul Austin traces the story of Sarah’s life, exploring his journey to better understand his daughter.

Host Frank Stasio talks to Paul Austin and Sally Somers Austin about their life and family. Austin will read from his memoir with his daughter Sarah at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham on Wednesday, November 5 at 7 p.m.